Air pistol



Mwah 25?, 1939.

J. P. APPLEBY AIR PISTOL Filed Oct. ,14, 1937 I Sheets-Sheet l AIR PISTOL J. F. AFPLEEBY Filed Oct. 14, 1937 March Z8, 1939.

Patented Mar. .28, '1939,

AIB PISTOL James P. Appleby, Anoka, Minn., -assignor to The Federal Cartridge Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application ctober'14, 1937, Serial No. 168,918

4 Claims.

My present invention provides' an extremely simple and highly eiicient air gun of the type wherein the bullet or ball is projected under the combined action of a spring and compressed air. Particularly, the invention relates to such guns which, because of their comparatively short barrel and hand grip, arev usually designated as pistols and are not usually provided with a. shoulder rest but adapted to be held entirely in 'one' hand. The device is, therefore, here en-` titled Air pistol, but various novel features thereof are capable of incorporation more generally in portable gun structures. l

Generally stated, the invention'consists of the novelv devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and deined in the claims.

A commercial form of the invention is illustrated .in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.`

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the improved pistol;

Iig. 2 is an axial longitudinal section taken through the pistol shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are views corresponding to Fig. 2, but illustrating different lpositions of the movable parts of the device;

" y Fig. 5 is a perspective of a iixed bracket that serves to support the main spring and to guide the rear portion of lthe piston rod of the air mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a rear end elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 5; i

Fig. 7 is a perspective sear;

showing the cooking Fig. 8 is a perspective showing the inner or gun '.barrel propery a feed hopper, and barrel head re- Fig. 3; and

together by means of screws or rivets I5, I6 andv Il. VSlidable through the tubular portion II of the casing is a relatively long outer barrel I6 that affords an air cylinder. This outerl barrel or cylinder I8, at the rear portion of its under side,

V a barrel cap 20. This cap may be secured to the barrel I8 in various ways but, as shown, is thus secured by a stop plate 2| and a lpin or screw 22. which latter is passed through the cap and barrel. The washer 2| at top and bottom is interlocked with slots in the barrel I8 and closes the rear end of the long slot I3 of said barrel I6.

Working within the cylinder-forming barrel I6 is a piston 23 having a plunger-acting rod 2l. As shown, the piston 23 is equipped with the 01'- dinary leather cup 25 that insures an air-tight joint with the cylinder-forming barrel. At its rear end piston rod 24 is reduced to form a head or lock shoulder 26. This head 26, at the rear end of the piston rod 42l, works freely in but is guided by a tubular portion 21 of a bifurcated bracket 28 that is located within the frame just below the barrel I8 and is rigidly anchored by the screws or rivets I6 and I 6, the detail construction of which bracket is best shown in Fig. 5. This bracket and its sleeve afford a guide and base' of reaction-for astrong coiled main spring 29 that vsurrounds the' piston rod 424 and reacts against the piston 23 with a force tending to impel the latter and parts carried thereby violently forward Whensaidspring is released, as will presently -more fully appear. I

This sear, as shown, is a stamped metal structure best shown in detail in Fig. '7, and is channelshaped and provided with an upturned rear endV terminating in a detent or ange 3l that is engageable with the shouldered head 26, when the latter hasv been forced rearward thereof. Also, it will'be noted that the head 26 has a conical rear end or point which will have a cam action to force down the rear end of sear 30 when the piston and rod are forced to extreme rearward position. Sear 30 is normally yieldingly held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by a coiled sear spring 32 anchored to the rivet I] in the handle I3 at its lower end and having an upper end engaged around across bar 33 formed in the front portion of the sear.

For moving the sear to releasing position, there is provided a trigger 34 also preferably formed from stamped sheet metal. This trigger is pivotally mounted on the rivet I5 and has a projecting L-shaped lug 35, the base of which is adapted to it will be noted that the extreme upper end of the lug 88 is Just slightly below the-bottom of the outer tube or air cylinder I8. VIn this position also it will be noted that the upper end of lug 88 is then slightly rearward of the extreme front end oi' slot I8 so that the trigger can then be pulled rearward, thereby causing the base oi' said -lug to release the piston rod or plunger 24, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4.

Byreference to Fig. 3, however, it will be noted that when the outerbarrel or cylinder I8 is drawn,

rearward the vtrigger will be locked by the then overlying portion of saidtube il so that the piston rod can notv then be released.` 'Ihese actions, however, will be more clearly summed up in the description of the operation.

Rigidly secured inthe intermediate portion of the barrel I8 is an annular barrel head" that is' secured in position by indented portions 88 of barrel I8 pressed into the annular groove of said barrel. This barrel is thus iixed against both axial and rotary movements. Placed against the rear side of this barrel head is a'pliable washer .or otherwise rigidly secured to a circumferentiab' ly grooved and flanged head 42 that is rotatably mounted in the barrel head 81. At the rear portion closely adjacent to the head 42 the barrel 48 is provided with a ball entering passage 48 and 'at a diametrically opposite point with a notch 44 that receives the bent end of a leaf spring 46, the front end of which is anchored to the bottom of a trough-like hopper 48, see particularly Fig. 8, the front end -of which is formed with an oblique deecting flange 41. The feed hopper structure 88-81 is thus mounted to rotate with the gun barrel 48. At its extreme outer end the gun barrel 48 is provided with a barrel cap 48 that is adapted to be engaged to rotate thebarrel and parts carried therewith.

4Rigidly secured to the4 piston 28 is a tubular ejector rod or pilot pin 48 that works with not loose but fairly close engagement through the axial passages of the washer I8, head 81, and barrel 4I.. 'Ihis tubular rod or pin- 48, close to the piston 28. is provided with one or more air prts The'numeral 8| indicates a sight piece on top oi' the tubular portion il and the numeral 82 indicates a sight piece on the top of the front end of outer barrel I 8. 'I'he barrel il, at the front end of its lower portion, is provided with a ball entrance port I8 andthe cylindrical portion lof the barrel cap 48 is provided with a like ball entrance passage 54 and which passages function as here inafter described It may be here noted that the base of the bracket 28 projects through the slot I8 of the outer tube or barrel I8 and holds the latter against rotation but lays it free for longitudinal sliding movements vbetween the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The barrel cap 28 limits the forward sliding movement of said outer barrel i8.

As above described, the sear 80, the trigger 84 andthe guide sleeve 21 are all directly secured to the Isupporting bracket 28. Obviously. this pormits the said parts to be operatively assembled in proper adjustment at the factory before they are applied in the When this assembled unit is applied in the gun by securing of the bracket 28 to the casing the elements of the unit are thereby accurately assembled and accurately located in respect to the other parts of the gun.. I

v Operation Fig. 1 shows the positions of the movable parts of the device immediately after it *has been ilred. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2, the entrance-to the 'magazine 4i is closed. When, however, the barrel cap 48 with the parts attached thereto are lrotated through 180, the entrance ports or passages 58 and 54 will be aligned and the balls can then be inserted into the magazine 4i. Obviously, a very large number of these balls can thus beinserted and stored up in the magazine ready for consecutive use. After the magazine has been filled more or less the cap 48 and parts thereon will be rotated back to the position shown in Fig. 2. thereby closing up the magazine. Whenever the piston or gun is pointed upward some of the balls will run down into the channel of the hopper 48`and the advanced ball will be lodged in the ball intake port 48.

When the cylinder-forming outer barrel I8 is forced to its extreme rearmost position, as shown in Fig. 3, the detent 8| of sear 80 will engage the head 28 of piston rod or plunger 24 and thereby lock the piston and pilot rod or firing' pin 48 in the retracted position, shown in Fig. 3.

When the outer barrel is moved rearward, as shown in Fig. 3, pilot pin 48 will still be projected into the inner or firing barrel 40, beyond the po'rt 48. At this time the gun can not be fired because the bottom of the outer barrel I8 overlies the lug 88 of the trigger, and hence. prevents the trigger from being pulled rearward or given its firing movement. Before the gun can be fired, the barrel I 8 must be slid back to its normal position, shown in Fig. 4. As the .barrel I8 reaches 4its rearmost position the ball or bullet, partly entered in the port 48, will then fall in front of the pilot rod 48, where it will be held by the detaining spring against rolling movement of the barrel 48. Thus. only one ball at a time can be entered into the firing barrel 40.

When the barrel I8 has been thus restored to its normal or forward position, the lug 8l of the trigger will be aligned with the slotll of the barrel i8 and rearward pressure on the trigger will then cause release of the piston and pilot rod. so that the main spring 28 will be released and will violently thrust the piston and rod 48 forward. Forward movementl oi' these parts will,

under the action of the spring 28, produce two results, to wit: Air compressed in the barrel or cylinder i8, in front of the piston 28, will. under high pressure, be forced out through the tubular pilot 48 and discharged against the ball; and the pilot pin 48 will b e violently thrust against the aligned ball; so that the combined impact and blowing action will produce a high velocity discharge of the ball. Forward movement of the piston will be stopped and cushioned by the engagement thereof with the resilient washer I8.

This improved gun, whether in the form of a -pistol or of a longer barreled or differently arranged gun. is capable of various modifications within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed. 'I'he pistol structure illustrated has, in actual practice, been found highly emcient for the purposes had in view.

What I claim is:

1. In a gun of the kind described, a casing, a

` and produce the'flring action,

barrel slidable through said casing, hallprojecting means including a forwardly spring-pressed plunger working in said barrel and provided at its rear end with a Sear-engaging datent, a

- bracket rigidly secured to said casing below said barrel and 4provided within said barrel with a' tubular guide sleeve-for'the rear end of said plunger, a spring-pressed seat levexpivoted to said casing and having one endengageable with the detent of'said plunger to hold the same reu tracted, a trigger-pivoted within said casing and operative on said sear lever to release the same said trigger having an upwardly projecting lug operative on said sear'lever, said barrel 'being cut away or removed at that portion thereof that overliessaid trigger lug when said barrelis in the forward position,

the` lower uncut or removed'body portion of said tube being arranged to-overlie said lug and prevent firing when said barrel is in a rearward position. ,Y

Z. In a gun oi' the kindfdescribed, a casing. a barrel slidable through said casing, ball-project'- ing means including a forwardly spring-pressed plunger working in said barrel and provided at its rear end with'a sear-engaging detent, a bracket and provided rigidly secured to said casing below said 'barrel within said barrel with va tubular guide sleev for the spring-pressed near lever pivoted to said casing and having onel end 'engageable with the detent of said plunger to hold the same retracted, a trigger pivoted within said casing and" operative on said sear lever to release the same and produce the firing action, said trigger having an upwardly projecting lug operative on' said scar lever, said barrel being cut away or removed at that portion thereof that 'overlies'said trigger lug when said barrel is in the forward positiomthe-lower uncut or removed body portion bf -saidtube 4being arranged to ovcrlie said lug and prevent firing when said barrel is in a rearward position, said trigger lug being an L-ahaped structure, the base of which engagea the end of saidsear' lever and the upwardly projected portion of which works through an opening in said sear lever.

` :3. In agun of the kind deacribed,a casing, a

rear end of said plunger, a

j 3 barrel slidably mounted in said casing. electing mechanism in said barrel including a rearwardly projecting rod terminating in the detent, means for yieldingly projecting said electing` meh anism forward when released, and means for, holding said electing mechanism retracted and for releasing the "same, comprising a bracket that is independent of but secured to said casing; a springpressed operative on the datent of said rodto hold said pivoted to said bracketand operative on said sear to retract the lsanne and release the electing mechsear pivoted to said vbracket and 10 -electing mechanism retracted, and a trigger also anism, and which trigger hasan yapproximately l' 1L.shaped`lug for action on said'sean'and which barrel is provided with a stop surface which, Vwhen the barrel is rearward, overlies the lug of said l triggerand holds the same against seat-retractingestion, but-which stop surface, when said' barrel is forward, clears the lug of said triggerv for nring action. 4

4. In a gun of thekind described, a casing, a' barrel slidably mountedin said casing, electing mechanism in said barrel including a rearwardly j projecting rod terminating in the detent, means forward when released, and means for holding said electing mechanism retracted and for .releasing the same, comprising-a bracket thatis independent of but secured to said casing, a spring pressed sear rod'to hold said electing mechanism retracted, and a trigger also pivqted to 'said bracket and operative on said sear to retract the same and release the electing mechanismsaid bracket having an upwardly extended portion ters Initiating4 in a guide tube located within said barrel and serving to guide the detent equipped rod of said electing mechanism, and which trigger has an approximately L-shaped lug for action on said sear and which barrel is provided with a stopsurface which, when the barrel is'rearward,

' overlies the lug of said trigger and holds the same against sear--retracting` action, but which stop surface, when said barrel is forward, clearsthe lug of said trigger for firing action.

' .wie P'. arrasar.'

alsv for yieldingiy projecting said electing mechanism 

